The Tale of Rose: The mature hit Chinese romance drama that Hidden Love fans will adore

Move over teenage crushes and sweet high school romances — The Tale of Rose is here to shake things up with grown-up heartbreak, career ambition, and a heroine who doesn’t need to be rescued.

Adapted from Hong Kong author Yi Shu’s 1981 novel The Story of Rose, this sweeping romance was first brought to the screen in 1986’s Lost Romance, starring Chow Yun-fat and Maggie Cheung. In its latest avatar, the drama follows Huang Yimei (Liu Yifei), a poised and privileged woman charting her path through love and self-discovery, guided — and at times derailed — by three very different men.

At first glance, it might feel like a departure from the youthful innocence of recent hits like Hidden Love or When I Fly Towards You, but The Tale of Rose brings emotional maturity and old-school glamour to the screen — think heartbreaks with high stakes, designer coats, and existential dilemmas instead of diary confessions and campus crushes.

It also marks a rare small-screen outing for Liu Yifei, best known to international audiences as the sword-swinging heroine in Disney’s Mulan. Here, she trades in her armor for complex emotions and Chanel, playing a woman torn between duty, desire, and destiny.

One particular line from her ex-husband Fang Xiewen (Lin Gengxin) — “So why are you insistent on going to Beijing? Who exactly is in Beijing?” — struck such a chord that it went viral online.

Universities and tourism boards across China have cheekily jumped on the bandwagon. Tsinghua University, which features prominently in the series, even posted: “Tsinghua will tell you who’s in Beijing” on Weibo. Now that’s brand synergy.

The Tale of Rose is sitting pretty with a 7.4 rating on Douban — and it’s clear this isn’t your typical swoon-fest. It’s romance with bite, perfect for those ready to graduate from bubble tea love stories to something a little more bittersweet.